1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to doors and more particularly to decorative doors and decorative moldings used as frames for such decorative doors.
2. Description of Related Art
Generally, doors are framed by a door molding positioned in a doorway, such as an interior doorway including a doorway between rooms, a closet doorway, or a patio door opening, of a residential or commercial structure.
As is typical for most doors or door moldings, doors and door moldings can include very fine ornate detail or intricate patterns, which typically are hand carved from wood and expensive. There is a need to develop a relatively inexpensive alternative to these labor intensive carvings. Compo material has been used in connection with the production of decorative frames for pictures, paintings and mirrors. A compo material is a generally inexpensive material that is typically a paste or other moldable material that is applied to a base substrate. The compo material can be rolled with a patterned wheel or molded to create a decorative design. The compo material, however, is relatively brittle and can be chipped or cracked if contacted with sufficient force. As such, the use of compo material alone has traditionally been deemed unsuitable for use on doors and door moldings.
Doors and door moldings can be exposed to contact from various sources, such as boots, toys, tools or vacuum cleaners, for example. This contact can damage or destroy the decorative design on the doors or the door moldings, thus requiring repair or replacement. As such, there is a disadvantage to applying intricate patterns or fine ornate details on these types moldings for aesthetic appeal using a compo material. The contact may damage or remove the intricate patterns or the fine ornate details. There is a need for a low cost decorative molding having decorative portions that may be protected from the above-described contact to avoid chipping and other damage.
It is one aspect of the invention to provide a decorative door having a construction that protects a decorative portion of the door from contact.
It is another aspect of the invention to provide a decorative molding having a construction that protects a decorative portion of the molding from contact.
It is yet another aspect of the invention to provide a decorative molding and a decorative door associated with the decorative molding, wherein each of the decorative molding and the decorative door has a construction that protects a respective decorative portion from contact.
In response to the foregoing challenges, applicant has developed a decorative door comprising a frame having a top panel, a bottom panel and a pair of side panels and an interior panel connected to each of the top panel, the bottom panel and the pair of side panels. The top panel is connected to each of the side panels and the bottom panel is connected to the side panels to form a generally rectangular frame. At least one of the top panel, the bottom panel and the pair of side panels has a contoured top surface having a length, at least a first raised portion extending along the length of the contoured top surface and a second raised portion extending along the length of the contoured top surface in a generally parallel and spaced relation to the first raised portion. The first raised portion and the second raised portion have a first predetermined height and a second predetermined height. The first and second raised portions form a recessed portion. A raised decorative portion is formed on at least a portion of the recessed portion, wherein the raised decorative portion has a height that is less than the smaller of the first and second predetermined heights.
Applicant has also developed a decorative molding comprising an elongated panel having a contoured top surface. The contoured top surface has at least a first raised portion extending along the top surface in a longitudinal direction and a second raised portion extending along the top surface in a generally parallel and spaced relation to the first raised portion. The first raised portion and the second raised portion have a first predetermined height and a second predetermined height. The first and second raised portions form a recessed portion and a raised decorative portion formed on at least a portion of the recessed portion. The raised decorative portion has a height that is less than the smaller of the first and second predetermined heights. The molding may be used to trim out a door or room.